If you had time to watch my Facebook live post last Friday, you heard me say (through tears) that I have never considered the words "Connected in Christ" to be more relevant and meaningful than they are right now.
Consider the words of St. Paul in Ephesians 2:13-14, and 17-18: "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility... And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father."
That's it! We are connected in Christ so that we can connect to one another. Think of it...we can connect to each other in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago! We use Facetime or Zoom to see each other while talking; we connect with each other by text instantly; we IM; we even connect the "old fashioned way" by phone! And even in these uncertain and trying times, we are finding amazing ways to connect to our colleagues, to our students, and to family members who are far away. More importantly, though, is that God is using this time of unprecedented "distancing" to CONNECT the Good News of Jesus into homes that we would never have had the opportunity to do if we were all still in school, doing our "normal" ministry hours each day!
Like the Apostle Paul said in verse 13 above, we have been "brought near" -connected - by the atoning sacrifice of Christ, both to each other (unity in the Body) and to God our Heavenly Father (access in one Spirit). The risen Messiah preached peace which His death and resurrection achieved. Christ makes peace and is also the place where it is found. Like Paul, then, it is our mission to share this peace of Christ which connects us - right now, in these uncertain times.
May the peace of Christ dwell in you richly, and may God equip you for everything you need each day to deal with all of the uncertainty we are facing in these trying times. We ARE connected in Christ!
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